Kendall Sampson drives against a defender on Monday. (Photo by Brian Thornton)
By Jacob Pitcock, Correspondent
Heritage High School’s boys basketball team continued its solid start to the season with a 73-56 win Monday afternoon over Woodcrest Christian. The Patriots are now 3-1.
The game started off fast, with both teams looking to get quick, easy looks at the rim and set the pace for the rest of the game. Partly due to some missed open looks and turnovers, Heritage fell behind 7-2 midway through the first quarter. The Patriots rebounded quickly, though, limiting their turnovers, and a pair of 3-pointers by Desean Logan eventually helped them take the lead 14-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Logan finished the game with 9 points, playing a key role in an unselfish Heritage offense. Quentin Bailey led the way with 16 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Kendall Sampson had 9 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds, while Ivan Clark had 8 points and 3 steals.
The consistent output on both sides of the ball was pointed out by Coach Adrian Contreras, who talked proudly about his team’s early-season performances.
“I’m really excited about the growth of this team moving forward,” he said. “I feel like we have a beautiful balance between senior leadership mixed with young, hungry juniors and sophomores, which is creating a balanced approach every game. We’ve had a different leading scorer all four games this year.”
Heritage looked to pull away in the second quarter, opening up the period with a 12-2 run that saw them extend their lead to 26-13. Woodcrest responded, regaining momentum as the turnovers that kept the game close in the first quarter continued to plague Heritage. Even so, at halftime, the score sat at 37-31 in favor of Heritage.
The third quarter looked to spell more of the same as Heritage opened up the quarter with a couple turnovers, but their defense stepped up big-time. Relentless, high-pressure defense forced Woodcrest into multiple turnovers that ultimately led to easy fast break buckets for Heritage. Before long, Heritage regained the double digit lead they held midway through the second quarter.
Woodcrest didn’t score its first basket of the second half until there were two minutes left in the third quarter. By that point, Heritage had already put up 18 points, extending their 6-point halftime lead to 24.
From there on out, it was smooth sailing as Heritage’s defense continued to thwart any attempt at a comeback by Woodcrest, finishing with 15 steals as a team and 7 blocks. By the time Woodcrest finally got a bit of a run going toward the end of the fourth quarter, it was too little too late.
Heritage will look to continue its solid start to the season with a game against California Military Institute next Monday at home.
Quentin Bailey drives to the basket for 2 of his 16 points. (Photo by Brian Thornton)
Quentin Bailey tries to make a move in a crowd. (Photo by Brian Thornton)
Kendall Sampson brings the ball up the court. (Photo by Brian Thornton)
Diego Mekonsto attempts a free throw. (Photo by Brian Thornton)
